Here, kitty kitty
by Warfang
Summary: In the tradition of turning characters into kittens, I have turned Finn, Piper, and Aerrow into kittens,and the Dark Ace finds them. Changes to chapter 6, but the plot's the same.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Storm Hawks!

On with the Story!

"Mew…"

Dark Ace stopped and looked around. He could have sworn to have heard something over the rain. He paused, listening, his breathing settling from the night of drinking lightly with the guards. Keeping moral up was becoming a problem with those pesky Sky Knights.

"Mew…"

Dark Ace turned to the alley way, and walked in. There he found three kittens. One was black, and licking the wound on a golden furred kitten, that was crying piteously. A red haired kitten was pulling the remains of a box over to them, in order to provide shelter.

The Dark Ace snorted.

Grabbing the box, he turned it over and cleaned it out with brisk movements. The kittens tensed, but didn't flee and abandon the weaker golden one to him.

With a harsh yank, the Dark Ace removed his cloak and lined the box with it. Then he scooped up the yowling red kitten and dumped him in.

The black kitten followed, and the golden one was tenderly set in, mindful of its injuries.

The Dark Ace than resumed strolling through the rain to his temporary quarters on the most recent terra that Cyclonia had conquered.

The Storm Hawks had shown up, but a brilliant move from Ravess had the Cyclonian Talons separate the Storm Hawks from the local Sky Knight squadron. The Storm Hawks had fought them off long enough to evacuate the people, but in return, Ravess had slaughtered the local Sky Knight.

Dark Ace was impressed, and so was Master Cyclonis. She had called Ravess back to assign her a quadrant to look after that had whispers of infiltration.

She had left Dark Ace to stabilize the terra. That was okay with him, he hadn't lost to the Storm Hawks technically. They had fallen back without managing their objective- reclaiming the terra.

The Dark Ace arrived at his quarters, shifting the box to the side, he opened the door. A servant came forward to offer assistance. The Dark Ace shook his head and indicated for the elderly man to go to bed.

The man bowed and left.

The Dark Ace went to his room, and with the wave of a crystal, heated the room. He then fetched a jug of milk and a saucer. He proceeded to remove the black and red kittens, which mewed at him for removing them from their warm confinement, before tucking into the milk.

Dark Ace chuckled. The kittens were adorable and most likely abandoned in the hurry to escape the terra.

The Cyclonians actually made profit from selling abandoned animals on the black market, but these kittens deserved a more certain future.

Dark Ace pulled a hamper, much cleaner than the box, over. He lined it with a blanket and then turned it on its side so that the kittens could get in and out.

Then he left the room and came back with a healing crystal. He pulled the kitten up. The golden one was feisty. It mewed at him and swiped, obviously not liking being picked up. The other two heard him and came gallantly to his rescues- climbing on the Dark Ace.

Dark Ace chuckled, and blew crystal dust onto the kitten. The full crystal would probably repair the kitten too well and kill it.

The wound began to knit itself together, but it was the CRACK of bone resetting that made the Dark Ace pay attention.

He set the golden kitten down and watched it wobble around on its legs. Then the fire colored kitten started to push the saucer towards him.

Dark Ace sighed and pulled the saucer nearer to the healed kitten. The kitten immediately stuck its head into the milk, before pulling back.

"Mew!" Licking its lips, the golden one was rather…cute. The black haired one came over and began to wash the golden one. The ember colored one then proceeded to search the area. Dark Ace leaned back against the wall.

He could do with one night not spent in bed. Besides, he wanted to watch the kittens for a little…while….longer.

The Dark Ace nodded off.

A/N: Okay, I know this seems light and fluffy now, but once I figure out how to do a poll, I'm going to give you a few options.

1 Stork, Junko and Radarr rescue their friends (yes, I'll explain why they turned into cats from a transfiguration crystal later.)

2 The Cyclonians win and keep the Storm Hawks as their 'pets' who eventually form Stockholm Syndrome. Elements of Dark and creepy-BEWARE, THE STORM HAWKS ARE DOOMED IN THIS VERSION.

3 No idea why this is here. Maybe if I balance despair and humor. Rough times, happy endings.

So yeah, an idea that's been rattling in my head, and probably the weirdest to come out yet.

Random voice in my head- Weird? You made the Dark Ace like kittens. KITTENS.

Me- Well, he certainly wouldn't like chickens.

RVIMH- True.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Storm Hawks! And only one person has been to the polls, and voted for a happy ending, so I have in reviews, one vote for a mix, one vote for dark and creepy, and in the poll, one vote for happy.

Hence, this chapter is not yet the turning point. The chance for the diverging plot is still a few chapters away.

On with the Story!

Here, kitty, kitty Chapter 2

Dark Ace woke up to find that all three kittens had curled up on him rather than in the hamper.

This could be a problem. It was nearing six in the morning, and by then, Dark Ace wanted to be out and running the laps to stay in shape, before he came back for nutrient enhanced water and started his day.

He was training Talons, doing paper work, or over seeing a new project. His current assignment was to establish the trading routes and schedules for the new Terra they had conquered. He was to scout for weaknesses and see to planning defenses.

He was also to initiate the plans for short and long term domination. Getting the locals used to Cyclonia rule was the short term. Having them expect Cyclonian rule and partially accepting it was the long term goal.

What was his goal in getting the kittens off of him?

Oh, yes. Moving them into a pen so that they couldn't get into any trouble, but still have some paper to wee and poo on until they learned better.

Dark Ace shook his head.

The kittens were so cute, curled up into little balls and-okay, that one had claws. The ember coated one had woken and stretched, his claws becoming hooked through the thin layer of clothe.

As he began to mew in distress and wake the others, Dark Ace coo'd to him and pulled the paw forward, unhooking him.

He made a mental note to trim the claws with his nail trimmers later. He then set to work having the servant fetch a pen while he watched the kittens and stretched.

The elderly man returned and set up the pen where Dark Ace indicated. He also presented small toys and a pan, rather than a saucer, for the milk.

Dark Ace nodded his approval, and scooped the kittens up and set them in. He checked the leg of the golden kitten before setting them down.

They immediately began exploring.

Dark Ace charged the servant with looking after them until he was done with work. Then Dark Ace was out the door.

* * *

The run was fairly smooth, and Dark Ace completed it before most of the Terra was awake. He showered briskly, the sweat still running from him as she cooled down.

But there was not time to be perfectly hygienic. He swept into the map maker's tent and set up scouting parties and relayed what he had seen on the run. A more accurate map was drawn, and relayed to the defense squadron.

Dark Ace watched with satisfaction as the men ran around in a cohesive unit, getting the will of Master Cyclonis transformed into a reality.

Dark Ace then left to sort out a training schedule, and to decide which platoons were to go home for their break and which were to replace them.

That was a headache. One of the men noticed, and brought him a steaming cup of tea. Dark Ace thanked him curtly, and set the tea aside. The Talon left.

Planning the ships that the men were to use without disrupting trade lines was always a problem. Dark Ace would think that the men could handle lay-over points and get on the proper ship to go home, but there were also times when the men had a mix-up and were deployed to the front lines instead.

Dark Ace sniffed the tea. He then discreetly waved a crystal over it from his wrist guards. The crystal glowed faintly, but did not change color.

Thankful for the un-poisoned treat, Dark Ace sipped the tea. He was too refined to slurp. That's how the men on break always knew that he was eavesdropping when he passed through the Cafeteria on a routine 'make sure there's no mutiny' check.

They figured they were just surprise inspections.

Dark Ace decided that that sounded better on paper.

After running a few more errands, such as deciding if the Terra could have an uprising with the native materials, and what the Terra produced and how much of it, Dark Ace tasked a lieutenant with getting an accurate census of the population.

He couldn't do all of the work around here.

Dark Ace then made sure that the notices for training were posted, and then headed to the training grounds for some afternoon training sessions. He would catch up on missing lunch later.

Dark Ace stopped, his ears twitching. There was something off about his stance. He straightened his back. There was a ripple of cracks, that made him pause and end the sequence early.

He then went through the lounges and turns that composed of his 'cool down' phase. Then he bent over until his elbows rested on the ground.

His back was definitely out of alignment. What had he been thinking, that one night on the floor wouldn't hurt him?

Shaking his head, Dark Ace left the training grounds and headed towards the medic tent. Leaving the back to sort itself out was not his idea of 'playing it safe'.

The Talon greeted him by name, and prepared a bath of oil and hot water as Dark Ace stripped and lay down on the table.

He folded his shirt neatly, placing it on the shelf and refrained from hissing at the cool surface of the table as it hit his chest.

The medic ran his fingers over his back.

"Geez, what did you do, sir? Spend the night in a chair again?"

"Something like that. I have three new charges to look after."

"Newbies, sir? I haven't had to fill out paperwork concerning a transfer…"

"No. Newborns. I don't suppose you know of any vets in here?"

"Not in the Talon squadrons, sir. There is an animal hospital on the Terra, though. What kind of pets, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Kittens. They're gold, ember, and black. I'm looking after them for the time being."

"Of course, sir." The Talon was grinning, though he did try to mask it. They all knew that Dark Ace would look out for them. There was no way he was going to abandon the kittens or just leave them to someone he didn't deem important enough to look after.

"They would make a fine present for Master Cyclonis when you leave on assignment."

Dark Ace made a non-committal grunt. The Talon shut up and proceeded to fix the alignments.

Dark Ace left the medic tent in another five minutes, having completed the paperwork to have his account billed for the treatment.

Of course, the Talon had initially refused to accept compensation, but Dark Ace pointed out that he did take time for the chiropractic, and needed compensation.

The Talon stated the flat fee and left it at that.

* * *

Dark Ace returned to the kittens playing with the toys and the wee and poo being cleaned out by the servant.

Dark Ace thanked him, and then set about making a litter box with a mat to go under it.

Once he set that in the pen, he interrupted the kittens to pick each of them up one at a time, set them in the box, and move on of their front paws to show that they could dig in the box.

The kittens quickly realized that when they needed to wee or poo, that they went to the box.

Glad that the first stage of potty training was over, Dark Ace then set about preparing the bath for the three kittens.

His mental checklist ran through everything he would need.

A shallow basin that they couldn't drown in with him right there, but walls high enough that they couldn't escape.

A second basin for rinsing.

Animal friendly shampoo that wouldn't irritate their eyes.

Towels.

Dark Ace put the ember kitten through the bath first, and wow, could that little fella (Dark Ace checked) yowl.

He was then dried and set down.

The black one, a female, went through it with a minimal of fuss, but she glowered at him with such hate that Dark Ace picked her up and said "I know you don't like the bath, but it's good for you."

She was dried and set in with her playmates.

The golden one gave him a pitiful look. 'You'll spare me, right?'

Dark Ace sighed and picked him up.

"Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew!" This was going to be a long bath. The golden one dug his claws in and wriggled to get away from the water.

"Look, it's not that deep, see?" Dark Ace put his hand in. Seeing that the water was indeed shallow, the kitten retracted his claws and allowed Dark Ace to put him in.

But he wouldn't let Dark Ace leave.

"Ow! You bit me." Now, usually when an animal bits you, the hand is immediately retracted. But the kitten had more nipped him.

Dark Ace studied the animal. "You don't want me to let go, do you?"

The animal mew'ed and purred, rubbing his head against the hand.

Dark Ace sighed and decided to try the bathing one-handed, as the kitten wanted physical contact to reassure him that Dark Ace wouldn't leave him.

There were a few mishaps, but the kitten made it through okay and Dark Ace only had a little bit of water on his uniform.

Now all dry, the kittens romped around in the play pen. Dark Ace sighed.

He wished he could watch them for a bit longer, but it had already been an hour, and he needed to be present for the newscast that kept the far reaches of Cyclonia inter-connected.

He told them to play nice, and left.

* * *

The victory of Ravess over the Terra's Sky Knight was in the news, along with Dark Ace expanding the spread of the Cyclonian Empire. Snipe was starting another boot camp, and many of the soldiers groaned, but admitted that the boot camps were part of the reason why they could still fight.

Cyclonis reminded them of what they fought for, and praised them for their victories.

"Soon, we will be the rulers of all that is Atmosia again." Then the broadcast stopped.

Dark Ace nodded to the lieutenants that the men were allowed their free hour for the evening, and turned in.

* * *

The kittens were settling into their cleaned bed when the Dark Ace returned. He smiled at them, and then proceeded to take a bath, the long soak easing the ache in his muscles.

He had a Terra to run, a war to fight, and a master to serve. He would just find the energy, time, and schedule space to look after three little charges.

The Talon's suggestion wandered through his head.

Maybe if Cyclonis liked kittens, she could have one. Or two. But she couldn't look after all three while coordinating the entire Cyclonian force.  
When he began to nod off, Dark Ace forced himself out of the tub and into the chilly air. He dried off and headed to bed.

He bid the servant good night, and told him to remind Dark Ace when it was time for his afternoon off- Dark Ace thought that after all the trouble servants went to, they should have some time to themselves. The servant nodded, and indicated that Dark Ace would have his answer in the morning.

Dark Ace yawned behind his hand politely, and excused himself.

The old man bid him a good night and pleasant dreams, and retired to his chambers.

Dark Ace smiled at the bundle of fur that was the three kittens sleeping together, and crawled into his bed.

Sleep came easy to him.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Over two-thousand words. So any way, please review, or sign in and pick a choice on the poll!


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Storm Hawks! I will be closing the poll soon, so go ahead and vote, because I will be announcing the winner in the next chapter!

On with the Story!

Junko groaned. The attack at the Terra had thrown the Condor down to a ridge that ran between the Terra and the Wasteland, with just enough room to land the Condor. It had been a brutal battle, with Stork taking on a Cyclonian Carrier, and just getting the last few refugees clear. The battle wasn't a major setback for the war, but the battle had cost dozens of families their homes.

And there was never an acceptable reason to drive someone from their homes, especially if it was to escape Cyclonian rule.

Stork was a nervous wreck, only calming down enough to get the Condor ready to fly, but they weren't going anywhere for the next three days. The damage to the Condor was extensive. In fact, they were missing an engine.

In the Bridge, Radarr sniffed at the burn out Crystal that had gleamed around Aerrow, Finn, and Piper, but no one had touched it since the light that erupted from the Terra. Not many had noticed, for the light was very local and only where the three Storm Hawks were clustered, so many assumed that it was Piper with a Crystal.

But now they had a Crystal, and no Piper.

They needed to get the Crystal to a specialist before they could look for their friends, because it was the only clue they had.

Junko stretched. His muscles had gone past protesting the strain he put on them, and gone to numbing when he pushed too hard. The past two days of making sure that they could repair the Condor had been brutal. Thankfully, the Talons were busy documenting the stores of crates that they were loading, and snagging parts and substituting other items, such as rocks and dirt, meant that the theft went undetected a little while longer.

Radarr would bring them fruit that had survived the fall, but they were running on little sleep and food to get airborne again. Stealing food from Cyclonia was harder, and rather than risking being caught, they avoided the temptation. Stork was too paranoid to go through the trash for food, although Radarr had rescued some moldy bread that was thrown out.

Stork was the only one allowed to inspect food that was rotting to determine whether to risk salvaging the morsel or use it for cannon fodder.

The events from the battle continued to replay in their heads. They knew that getting separated from the Sky Knight of the Terra was the worst thing that could happen, but after being forced to retreat to cover the refugees, Finn, Piper, and Aerrow had gone back to retrieve the very Crystal that now sat on the table in the Condor.

Piper had returned in a panic to give them the Crystal, ordering them to get to Starling and to find someone who could analyze the Crystal, before returning to Finn and Aerrow. She had a desperate look on her face, and her skin looked as though it hadn't fit right on her frame.

Then the light had erupted around them when she returned, and they were close to the ground when it happened, too.

Stork paused in his work. Piper had also seemed to be in pain, and clutched her stomach, scarcely breathing, and had a hard time getting out the simple order. But otherwise, she looked perfectly fine, not suffering from any battle wounds.

He set his mouth in a grim line, and set to work. If they could find out what happened, they might be able to save their friends from what the Crystal did to them.

Stork straightened up and whacked his head on an overhead pipe, but he was too busy with a thought to give it any attention.

What if one of the refugees knew what the Crystal did?

He rushed to the radio, but after learning that the only one who knew for certain what the Crystal did and how to reverse the effects was the dead Sky Knight, he asked if there were any other records.

"There were other records." the Wingman replied. He would have to go to a fellow Terra on the other side of Atmos and dig through the records, and get the express permission of the Sky Knight- the wingman broke off.

"You have my express permission to search the records for the Crystal. All we know is that it is dangerous, and should never fall into enemy hands. I am trusting you to guard it until a new Sky Knight can be appointed, and your friends are safe."

Stork thanked him, and offered his grievances for the lost of the Sky Knight. The Wingman thanked him, and they both hung up.

Stork made his way to see Junko.

"We have to sleep. I have the co-ordinates of where we go next on our little 'treasure hunt' to help the others."

Junko grunted, and then set down the tools he was using. Radarr churred at them, and headed into the hangar where the cots were set up.

They weren't sleeping in their beds until their friends were back. A reminder- and a punishment.

* * *

The Condor was finally up and flying. Okay, they were limping from one Terra to the next. Usually Terra hopping was costly and not energy efficient, but the Condor was literally coasting on Crystal dust to make it from Terra to Terra.

Supplies were stretched thin by the war, and being able to renew Crystals was a rarity. Piper was smart enough to be able to refine Crystals to where they could be reused up to three times, extending their life by twice the normal range.

That was the only reason the Condor made it through the first four Terras. After that, Stork really wished that Finn was still with them. He could sweet talk anyone into parting with their hoards of Crystals and entice bartering to occur.

Supplies were scarce, and even though Stork could see the store of Crystals, most Terras insisted that they did not have anymore.

After driving back a Night Crawler raid, Stork started to figure out why. There was an entire string of attacks on the Terras, weakening them from the incoming invasion. The Terra they had just lost the battle for was turning into a base and further pushing into Atmos. To battle against them, Stork began to relay the information via the radio in the old fashion way that Peregrine had shown them.

In short, Junko cranked the handles while Stork talked. Radarr refused to run around on a wheel for the ten minutes it would take to talk.

So far, when Crystal energy failed them, they could always resort to themselves. Stork shook off the depressing undertones in that statement. He had a mission to reclaim his friends from their uncertain yet certain doom, and he needed to focus on this catastrophe before wondering about current, minuscule ones.

Defenses were mounted as Stork forewarned the Terras, and the Night Crawlers found themselves no longer able to push into the free land of Atmos. Driving the Night Crawlers back was left to the Screaming Queens.

The Condor proceeded to limp to the next few Terras. After another day of searching, Stork kicked a crate in frustration. He couldn't find the Solar Crystal anywhere, and it could easily pull the sun's energy into renewing the Power Crystals nearly endlessly. There was a small clang as the crate tipped over.

Stork opened up the crate, and there was the Solar Crystal. Stork surmised the side of the crate that had been pushed to face the wall when they were doing repairs- FINN KEEP OUT was printed in large letters.

Of course, Stork didn't believe in miracles.

Stork sighed to himself, before taking the crystal to the bridge and getting the Condor to half power.

Now they could say they were flying.

* * *

It had been two weeks. Only fourteen days since the Piper, Aerrow, and Finn had disappeared after the battle. The grape vine through the Sky Knights and their squadrons had Starling landing on the Condor a day before they finally made it across Atmos and to the Terra with the details they needed.

She had landed barely a foot from the cots that Stork was sleeping in while the Condor hovered. That had been a pleasant wake up. He had spazzed out when she addressed him in a terse manner to get his attention.

"I'm sorry. I've been in a hurry to reach you- and you look like you need that sleep." Starling watched Stork as he swung his legs off the cot and stood up.

"Yeah, well, turning a month long trip into a week's trip is hard on the engines." Stork started walking. "I presume you want to see the Crystal that appeared before the others disappeared. I mean, Junko and Radarr are still here."

Starling nodded, and followed him to the bridge.

The Crystal was yellow, with flecks of orange around the outer layer, and an acidic green stripe down the center of the Crystal.

Starling scrutinized it, before shaking her head. "If I've ever heard of this Crystal before, I'm not recognizing it."

"I was afraid of that." Stork grumbled. He stretched, and went to check the Condor. Starling peeked over his shoulder.

"How safe is it for the Condor to be airborne?"

Stork looked at her. Starling looked back at him.

"Oh."

"Yeah, we should have sunk to the Wastelands by now, but we aren't giving up until we have them back. They're probably in Cyclonian custody, or in hiding, or dead. Of course, if they are dead, we'll need you to be the Sky Knight."

Starling paused for a moment, gauging how serious Stork was.

Stork nodded at her.

Rather than say 'oh' for the remainder of her stay, Starling folded her arms and proceeded to review what was needed done on the Condor. Stork allowed her free run of the ship, and she met Junko, who was diverting steam to a few pipes while he made new ones to relieve the pressure.

Radarr was in the kitchen, which was now covered in a faint layer of fur and dust. The rest of the ship was running, but it was in desperate need of a clean. Rolling up her sleeves, Starling set to work.

She couldn't abide standing still and waiting to arrive at the destination.

* * *

Dark Ace sat up. The attacks had been stopped by the Storm Hawks, who were in such a hurry that the Screaming Queens were now his main priority to defeat.

He did so with ease, but the little princesses had obtained Warp Crystals, and they all escaped after he sliced their parachutes.

He was snarling at the Talons who arrived. It had been nearly ten days, and so far, thirty percent of the refugees who had fled were now kept in factories.

As the murmurs of dissention and faded, Dark Ace allowed liberalities, such as a half hour supervised community time, warm food that was actually cooked, but still portion reduced to stem strength, and blankets.

Some people stopped trying to escape, and accepted their situation, but Dark Ace knew that they would always dream of escaping.

As it was, the supplies were being produced, there was little trouble, and the Terra was being outfitted for a permanent base. The stronghold would be built in the following months, the barracks would be strategically placed, and Dark Ace had surveyed and submitted a draft for the civilians to live.

Dark Ace hated drawing maps, but after talking to the Cartographer, what he envisioned was drawn up and sent back to Cyclonia.

Then he left to attend to the kittens.

In two weeks, they had gone through more than a growth spurt, they had gone through an attitude change as well. The ember and black colored one seemed to hate him, and were resigned to being near him.

Only the golden furred one would twine around his feet when he entered, demanding to be picked up.

Dark Ace always obliged, even when he was smarting from the day's work. After being petted and purring loudly, the kitten would climb up, onto his shoulder, and then wind his way around Dark Ace's neck to settle on the right shoulder facing forward.

This way, the kitten would be around him and sociable to only him. A Talon had come to his private quarters with what he thought was an important message, and the kittens had shredded his uniform.

Dark Ace refused to issue the Talon a new uniform until he learned to respect his superior officers, and confided to the captain that the Talon was lucky he didn't order restricted rations as well, as was the norm.

As it was, the Captain explained to Dark Ace that the Talons had a bet running on who the 'lucky lady' was.

Dark Ace starred at him for a long, hard moment.

"I don't sleep with whores, Captain. I've taken in three kittens, two of which may become Master Cyclonis' personal pets. You can have the masseuse who tended to me collect on the bets."

Then he marched out and settled in for an evening of talking to the kittens. That was before the ember and the black furred one started going through an attitude phase.

Perhaps they liked girls better, and would take to Master Cyclonis. The golden furred one was happy enough to be around him. The others were exhibiting strange behavior in accordance to this.

Sometimes, they behaved like cats in the way they communicated to each other, and there were others times that Dark Ace swore that they could actually understand him.

It really helped when he told the ember one to move from his seat, and the kitten climbed onto his arm rest, and then settled right back in his lap.

Now, at the present time, Dark Ace was entering his quarters after the Screaming Queens had escaped. He sat down after radioing in to Master Cyclonis his defeat at allowing the Screaming Queens to escape.

Master Cyclonis had afforded him neither victory nor defeat, and ordered him to have the Night Crawlers push forward as far as they could to capitalize on his partial-success.

Dark Ace informed her that he had already ordered such, and that the Night Crawlers were only awaiting her approval.

Master Cyclonis didn't hide the trace of a smile in her voice as she applauded his foresight and sent him to go to bed.

Okay, she told him that he was to continue working to her standards and to do so, he was to rest.

The golden furred one twined around his legs, mewing loudly. Dark Ace leaned down and stroked him, then picked him up. Still stroking him, Dark Ace passed the cleaned litter box, and went to fill in the food for the kittens.

The servant had left them plenty of fresh water. Dark Ace looked at the toys he had fashioned in his spare time, and spotted that the two male-hating cats were playing with the balls.

Dark Ace chuckled, and then picked up a crystal.

Off to the side of the ember cat, a red dot appeared. The cat caught the motion of the dot as Dark Ace waved his hand slightly, and then chaos erupted in the room.

Both of the cats went wherever the red dot did, and once they were exhausted, Dark Ace put up the crystal. It was a small price to pay for the hours of amusement that were compiling from playing with the kittens.

The golden furred one signaled that he wanted down, and Dark Ace bent his leg a little. The kitten leapt to the thigh, then down to the floor.

The kittens then curled up for a cat nap, and Dark Ace curled up with a mystery novel that he had been working through for the past two months.

There wasn't a lot of reading time when he was running around and getting the Terra up and running, ordering around Talons, and trying to thrash the impudent Sky Knight that lead the Storm Hawks.

Dark Ace had worked his way through another chapter, when the captain knocked on his door.

Dark Ace bade him to enter, even though the door was open.

"Sir, someone stole parts and replaced them with dirt and rocks. We have checked the Talons, but the end consensus is that the Storm Hawks must have stolen them to repair the Condor. We need you to sign off on the new shipments and the budget, Sir."

Dark Ace repressed showing any emotion, and calmly stood.

"Do you have the paper work with you?"

"I gave it to the servant to put in you study, sir."

"At ease, and take the men for their evening out. Same rules as always apply. The Private's birthday present should be delivered on time."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." The Captain took his leave, and Dark Ace set the book aside.

Damnit, he was only a hundred pages into a three hundred and major change book. Dark Ace stood up, and went to tackle the paperwork. There was a good, three inch think book on his desk.

Apparently the Talons had decided to list not only what was stolen, when and where, but also what the part was needed for, the replacement's acquirement, and how much it would cost to make, ship, and install.

There was even a time frame for how long until construction could resume. At least the workers could gauge how the work was to be done and prep the sites.

Dark Ace read through the items in detail, and then ran through the itemized list in the back. Everything seemed to be in order.

Thud.

Dark Ace glanced up, and the black furred kitten had jumped onto his desk. She then walked over to him, and sat on his paperwork.

She gazed up at him expectantly.

"What? I fed you."

She continued to stare. Then she lay down on the booklet. Dark ace gave her an annoyed look. She patted his raised hand with the pen with her head. With a sigh, Dark Ace began to pet her.

"I guess it really was a phase you went through. Nevertheless, I can't take care of three kittens forever, even if I do love all of you. But I do know someone who would love a few kittens to help her with stress. What time is it anyway?"

Dark Ace glances up at the clock, and nearly fell out of his chair.

He had left work to retire at nine in the evening. It was now one in the morning. Pulling up the female kitten, Dark Ace made his way to bed, where the other two kittens had already curled up on the pillow. Dark Ace set her down, and she scampered to join them.

He stripped out of his armor, and pulled on sleeping pants. Then he pulled the cover back, trying to entice the kittens to chase the sheet and get off the pillow.

They gave him looks that said, 'you already tried that'. Giving up, Dark Ace settled in bed and pulled the pillow to him. The golden one gave up his spot for Dark Ace to have a space for his head, and curled up on Dark Ace's chest.

They always did that. Dark Ace slept on his back, and at some point, the kittens would make their way to sleep on his chest, or in the valley between his legs, and cause a fuss if he disturbed them getting up in the morning.

The golden one in particular would follow him around, yowling if he woke up cranky. The other two would give him sullen glares.

Dark Ace sighed. The kitten began purring, and Dark Ace stretched a hand up to pet him. Sleep, as with the first night, came easy to him.

* * *

Starling looked about the Terra. The library here was legendary for collecting stories, so of course there would be information on the Crystal. Most likely, information that didn't have her name on it, with the Screaming Queens asking her for help after Dark Ace trashed their rides, their parachutes, and nearly their lives if it wasn't for some spare Warp Crystals.

Taking her leave, Starling headed out to the Terras. She had a feeling that next time she met the Storm Hawks, she would see the whole squadron.

Stork waved her off, and Junko was healthy enough to wish her a safe journey. Radarr just watched. Then, they turned to face the library. They had managed to get there a day after Starling had met up with them, and the inside of the Condor still smelled of potpourri.

The librarians checked their permission, and allowed them into the Restricted section. Then Stork set to reading through the books related to the Terra, while Junko flipped through old legends related to the region, and Radarr ran about, pulling likely books with the words that Stork had emphasized to him.

It was a good stack of fifteen books each. None of the librarians were old enough, or could help with identifying the Crystal, which now resided in a transportable shield that the Library graciously provided.

They checked their journals and logs of previous Librarians for any mention of acquiring information that they found interesting, and information on a rare Crystal being recorded might be intriguing to the person in charge during their time.

Stork estimated another four days for reading and referencing before they found out what the Crystal was, what it did, and how to find Piper, Aerrow, and Finn.

At least with them, the work would have gone faster, and Piper knew how to read a book, looking up table of contents, and reading the entire book if she thought a reference might be stuck in an unlikely space.

Finn could barely read, but he would flip through a book and look for pictures or phrases, and Piper had taught him enough of the Common tongue that he could read those books, despite most books in the Common tongue being common knowledge.

He had, of course, learned many valuable subjects that he had picked up in passing, but now Finn had depth to the subjects that he eavesdropped in on.

Stork jerked awake. Dreaming about Finn. That was a warning sign of mind worms if he ever knew one. Blinking himself back to the land of the living, Stork looked around. Radarr was curled up under the table, and Junko was passed out on the floor.

Stork had a pillow under his head, and the librarian was tidying up the books. Another one was reading through the stacks that they had already gone through.

"Did we miss something?"

"Non, I was just hoping to help Finn." Dove raised her head. She shut the book, and removed her librarian hood. "They had to sneak me in, even with the word of a Sky Knight. The mayor here is very strict on the rules." Dove closed the book. "Sleep well?"

Stork nodded.

The next few days passed by in a blur. Finally, they had read through nearly all of the books in the Restricted section related to the Terra.

Dove groaned. She hit her head on the desk. She had come all this way, and she still couldn't help. She was frustrated that Finn could be held prisoner, and she couldn't rescue him! If he hadn't seen her trying to sneak away, she would never have had the Storm Hawks help in freeing the people from the factory.

Stork was gazing at the Crystal and mumbling. Junko gaze a glance at the Crystal.

"Maybe it looked different when it was charged?" he suggested.

Stork shook his head. Even without power, the Crystal should still be recognizable. Dove reached out and touched the Crystal. She picked up the Crystal, weighed it, and with a shrug, put the Crystal back and sat down. She reached for a book on the shelf that had nothing to do with the region, and then pulled her hand back.

She was biting her lip. Stork and Junko watched as Dove curled up, wracked with pain. Then a bright light occurred, and the librarians came running through the stacks to find out what was going on.

When the light faded, Dove was sitting on the chair.

The only problem was, she now had a tail, ears, four paws, four, and was about an eighth of her usual height.

Stork mentally calculated her supposed weight of one ten to being a little less than ten pounds, so her weight had undergone an even bigger reduction. The Librarians gazed at her.

"Miss Dove? Do you understand us? Nod if you can." The kitten stared at them blankly.

"Oh, we are doomed."

* * *

A/N: I'm a little pressed for time, so I'll just proofread and post, shall I? And before I forget, if I had turned Junko into a kitty, may I credit reviewer The Alien of Pluto of giving me the cutest metal image of a Junko kitty that I just had to share- a kitten with green -grey fur with a horn (above the nose).


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Storm Hawks!

On with the story!

Dove blinked up at Librarians and the assembled Storm Hawks. One of the Librarians shrugged. "Well, at least sneaking her back out will be easier. I think there's a tome on Crystal induced transformations in one of the underground vaults. This way."

Stork scooped up the transformed Rebel Duck and followed the Librarian out. He grabbed a basket meant for carrying books and deposited Dove inside, giving her a safer place to be.

She still mew'd in slight distress and wanted out of her cage.

They went underground, and finally emerged hours later with the tomes needed to start the actual research. By now, a month had passed since they had lost Aerrow, Piper, and Finn to finding out what the Crystal did.

But they were a step closer to knowing what happened, even if the chances of them surviving as kittens drastically reduced the chances of finding them again.

"Oh, I do believe that I do not have to tell you to keep why we are researching this to ourselves, right?" Stork sent the Librarians a hard glare.

If the Cyclonians got a hold of the Storm Hawks when they were kittens, who knew what doom would befall them. The Librarians nodded. The Cyclonians had remarked that while they wouldn't torch the Library, that they would put the bookkeepers to death and appoint new ones.

Stork allotted for five days to read through all of the books. He opened the book.

It was in cipher. Okay, five days to translate. Then they would start reading.

* * *

(Back before the Condor reached the Library)

Dark Ace stretched and rolled over. Or, he began to roll over. A deep noise from his feet stopped him, and so did a weight. Apparently, the kittens hadn't started their day yet. With a low moan, Dark Ace opened his eyes.

He wouldn't be able to think until he was upright, and he couldn't just pull out of the covers without upsetting one of the kittens. The golden one was still on his chest.

After a moment, Dark Ace was able to twist his upper body until the golden one stalked off his chest and went to breakfast. Dark Ace then pulled his leg up and off the bed with a half roll. The ember and black kittens glared at him as their warm nest was broken up.

"I have work to do, stop glaring at me." Dark Ace grumbled, and headed off to wash up. After shaving off the beard stubble, he dressed in his uniform and kept the armor off until he finished his breakfast of sliced fruit and milk. Munching on a whole bagel, he left for the study, reviewed the damage that the Storm Hawks had caused, and sent it back, signed an approved. He did recalculate the expense, and was convinced that no one was trying to slip some into their pocket.

Then he greeted the elderly servant and made sure that the kittens were well put up with toys, and left for the day.

There was some Wasteland reconnaissance to do, such as where the Condor could have hidden.

* * *

It was noon, and he had found several places to set silent alarms. If a ship landed below the Terra, they would know. Marking in the added defense, Dark Ace left to regulate the shipping lines. The Time Pulse may be able to reach the entire Atmos, but he still had to finalize the schedule for supplies, and see to it that patrols were assigned and randomized, while not over working the Talons.

Dark Ace stepped into the kitchen. The cooks rushed about, and after smelling and seeing what was served, he left. He assigned a surprise inspection to make sure that the food served was edible and not poisoned. He would not have Talons performing poorly because they had stomach cramps.

Then it was more paperwork, corresponding with other Captains under his command in other reaches of the Quadrant, and listening to them boast. There was a rare Captain who reported actual findings and progress, and also the ones that were failing. They were warned, demoted, or killed.

So far Dark Ace only had to use the first two. It was a running bet between him and Ravess who would have to kill a subordinate first instead of banishing them.

Once that was over, Dark Ace had a rare evening to himself. He went back and played with the kittens. They never tired of the laser Crystal, and were quite happy to stalk and pounce on it. Later, he supervised the men's hour off after dinner, and listened to the radio with them, just as he always had.

Then Master Cyclonis announced something. "It has come to my attention that we have been making progress, and with the Councils expressed wishes, I will be visiting my top Commanders and their current bases. I hope my surprise visit will be fine with all of them."

The purr in her voice disguised the underlying threats. Everything had better be ship shape…or else.

* * *

Master Cyclonis hung up on the radio after bidding the Talons good night. She waited until she was in her room before sliding out a heating Crystal. She laid it down on some cloth, and whispered a few words, bending the Crystal to her will. Then she put it out to recharge and undressed. She then applied to heated cloth to her back. The painful kinks in her muscles from the day's stress were eased out by the heat.

She wouldn't be able to sleep until the pain abated, but she refused to show the pain. She was to be the Empress, and she would do away with the pesky Council that thought they could order her around. She was the one in control. She did more than research Crystals. She had fought to be inside this war and to know what went on. She would lead her people and the Council could go jump into the Wastelands!

Cyclonis sighed and began to stretch. Ravess was becoming ruthless. To her, if she pushed hard enough, pleased enough, she could secure a willing populace for Master Cyclonis. It was twisted, but she was loyal to Master Cyclonis. Only to Master Cyclonis.

Snipe was another story. He went for the Council or Master Cyclonis. He didn't change alliances; he just couldn't understand that there was a difference. He thought that the Council was equal to her. No. She was everyone's Master, and no Council would de-throne her after the hundreds of years of her family line.

She was barely twenty. In two years. Cyclonis finished stretching. Perhaps Dark Ace would have something for her. Something from him to remind her that it was an underhanded move from the Council, pushing with his recent failures to try to downplay his usefulness.

She would never put her right hand away from her own protection. The Council were slowly over stepping themselves, seeing a way to secure five families the ruling throne of Cyclonia and from there Atmosia. Just because they thought she was a child.

Well, she would murder them without drawing attention to herself before that happened.

* * *

Ravess and Snipe had been picture perfect when she visited them for a week each. They hadn't gone to extravagant means to entice her, but had made her stay comfortable without going overboard.

She was headed for Dark Ace last, as he was the farthest from Cyclonia, the ever expanding border encroaching on the Atmos Terras. The Screaming Queens were giving him trouble but word reached her that he had finally killed one of them in a stunning move that had flipped his Skimmer over and nearly destroyed the engine. But the Sky Knight Squadron hadn't known that. All they knew was to retreat with their killed sister.

Now an actual border was forming. If Dark Ace held it for the next six months, they would begin pushing again. As it was, all of Atmos was entering a slump period, where travel was sparse thanks to the winter winds that encompassed the whole known region. It only happened once a decade, and other thank being on alert for attacks, there was not much either side could do.

The summer flipside was solved with controlled climates, but the winter winds were harsh and could push through anything. Many ships had fallen to the Wasteland because their overheating engines had frozen when the cold wind hit the steam and exploded. The flying ice would also corrode the metal that formed the ship's plating. A very dangerous time for ships.

The ship landed at a rustic landing strip, but it was sufficient and impressive for someone who had been put behind on supplies. Dark Ace was there to greet her himself.

She surveyed the entire Terra on her opening tour. It wasn't a very huge Terra, but it did have some sprawl to it. There was a settlement for the slaves, strong, sturdy, and clean. No places to hide, but there was some privacy in the huts, although there was a gap at the top and bottom to watch were feet went.

One of her ideas to help track were meetings were held and who carried messages.

The factory had forty percent of the original populace, and slaves from other factories who were broken and helping the other slaves transition to the work. The broken slaves were not responsible for turning in troublesome slaves, and it helped create a community of trust.

After all, the Council couldn't have slaves dying before their time when they realized they would never leave the factories.

Master Cyclonis had wheeled and dealed to get them a half-hour lunch break and dinner. She even got them the fourteenth of each month to be a half-day, under the disguise of factory inspection.

The Council had agreed, as her terms were not too lenient.

Cyclonis had sneered and somehow lost their proposal for a night shift, and when it was brought up again, she naively asked which soldiers would be kept awake to watch the slaves. The idea had been scrapped.

Now she dined in the presence of the Talons, and Dark Ace kept putting choice bits at the edge of his plate. She didn't call him on it, as the other Talons seemed used to the odd behavior. Then she gave them a speech and retired. Instead of going to her quarters and staying there, a quarter after ten she snuck out to visit Dark Ace. The servants say her leave, and kept it to themselves.

* * *

Dark Ace heard the light rap as the door opened. He looked up from his book and smiled at her.

"Are you still reading that thing? Geez, Dark Ace, you are slow." She sat in the chair and drew her legs up, pulling the skirt over them. She rested her chin on her knee. "Do you like it?"

"It is very entertaining, but it doesn't distract me. I've finally made it to the fifth chapter."

"Aren't there about twenty in there?" She teased him. A soft purring noise distracted her. "What's that?"

"Ah, I've taken in three kittens. They tend to hog the bed, and they're hiding under the covers. Apparently they've forgiven me since I brought them treats from dinner."

Cyclonis lifted the blanket up. There were three partially grown kittens. They were sleek and had healthy fur, and the ember one was curled up with the black one and a golden furred one was licking Dark Ace's hand when he set it down.

He must have forgotten to wash after dinner.

Cyclonis smiled. "They are lovely, Dark Ace. May I have one?"

"You can have two. They amuse themselves and don't have names, and those two glare at me." Cyclonis giggled and held out her hand. They sniffed her hand, and then allowed her to scratch them. She buried her nose in their soft fur.

"I'm going to put a tracing spell on you two. That way I can't lose you." She darted over to Dark Ace's study and was back in a moment with the needed crystals. After she set up the diagram properly, she delved into herself and brought the Crystals to her command. The kittens glowed for a moment, and then it was over. Cyclonis felt a small tug on her mind, linking her to the whereabouts of her new pets.

"I think you should be Piper. And you can be…hmmmm." She frowned at the ember kitten. "Bolt. Because you look like a bolt of red cloth." The kittens purred and licked her face, and then crawled into her lap, forcing her to put her legs down.

"What will you name yours?" Dark Ace looked up from his book, his hand idly scratching the kitten. Cyclonis sat on his right side, where the bed was open to the room, having been pushed to the wall to make more room for the kittens, because while they could crawl under the bed, he couldn't.

The kitten was on his left side, snuggled into his chest.

"Well, he's blond, scrawny, and noisy. I think I'll name him Finn. It's common enough." Master Cyclonis nodded.

Gathering up the kittens, she pecked him on the cheek. "Get to sleep at a decent time, it's already eleven." She cautioned him. "Tomorrow's the day you show off how well the Skimmers can take off at the drop of a hat."

He nodded, and wished her sweet dreams. She retreated back to her room and set up for her new pets. Then she fell asleep upon the bed.

* * *

Dark Ace woke up to Finn hissing at something. A Night Crawler was at his window. Dawn was fast approaching. Dark Ace lounged out of his bed and did not stop when he grabbed his sword and raced to where Master Cyclonis was.

When he arrived, Piper and Bolt were hissing and clawing the assassin. Master Cyclonis had her staff and had fended off two of her attackers. The third one was persistent. Dark Ace gave him no warning and killed him, cold inactivated sword sinking past the Shielding Crystal. If the other two survived, Ravess would torture out who had sent them. The assassins were secured by the servants, stabilized, and shipped off.

The attack could have come from anyone wanting Master Cyclonis dead and gone.

* * *

The morning continued without interruption. Dark Ace tied with Ravess' time in mobilizing for an attack, and as the time was satisfactory, Master Cyclonis praised him. The servants and slaves who had watched could not deny that the Cyclonians were fine fighters.

Master Cyclonis spent the rest of the week with the Talons, Dark Ace, or with the kittens. They helped her unwind in ways that Crystals couldn't. They were someone she could talk to when she was troubled.

Many times when she was worrying over something, or stressed, Piper would come and sit on her paperwork. She found many more solutions to her problems with Piper's help than she had before.

Bolt was a fiend on the other hand. He had discovered a renewable energy source using actual wind, and had messed up part of her calculations, leading to a revolutionary idea on rejuvenating wind Crystals. Especially the grade that the Rebel Ducks used to be a persistent thorn in their side. None of it was on purpose, and he seemed out to get her. Master Cyclonis had relented and discovered that whenever Bolt harassed her, there was a gossipy Talon walking by.

She couldn't have the Talons thinking she was incapable because they saw her frustrated by a simple formula. Bolt really was devious.

Cyclonis actively pushed the distracting thoughts away. The Talons were happy to hear of her two kittens, and treated the animals with respect. None of them questioned their names. After all, some of the Talons had family named Finn.

Piper and Bolt soon got Master Cyclonis in the habit of sleeping with them in the bed. She grumbled about her training them, not the other way around.

The cats had started mewling for attention. She reached over and gave it to them, even when she had to get up and go to where they were.

"Oh, you clever kittens." They purred their victory under her fingers.

When the week drew to a close, Master Cyclonis sighed and packed her bags. Some of the Crystals were dangerous, and she didn't want them to explode and kill a careless servant. Piper and Bolt hid themselves in her cowl. She had clipped their front claws, but left the back claws for another time. After all, they were her protectors now.

She bade the Terra good-bye, and instructed Dark Ace to keep a sharp eye during the Winter Spell, where it was lunacy for any ship to travel. He acknowledged her, and she left. The good-bye was formal and impersonal. Just what the Council would want to hear.

A/N: Wow. I haven't updated in a while, but look! Things are moving again. If I have to, I might move the fanfic to M rating to feel safer, but I doubt that I'll actually do anything to warrant that, as this will be a dark (non-graphic) fanfic with a happy ending! Prepare yourselves, Storm Hawks, because happy is not exactly the term for what's coming to you.

Now how do I turn off that poll?


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Storm Hawks!

Wow, has time flown. I'll be done with my first year of college in a few more days, and so hopefully time for writing and posting will be easier.

Also, I have shamelessly become addicted to the Durarara! anime series. But I haven't left the SH fandom. So here's the fifth chapter of Here kitty, kitty.

On with the story!

They had finally finished their research. Well, the written research. And the radio was broken, so they couldn't tell anyone what had happened. And when Stork fixed the radio, the Winter Spell had moved in. They were doomed.

Dove was still a kitten.

It was the start of the dreaded Winter Spell, and it was shaping up to be monumental and last out of season.

The mayor, who was barely letting them stay, hated cats.

Hence why they were doomed. Stork had managed to get lodgings away from the mayor, but the man insisted that they 'dispose of' the cat. Stork really wanted to sic some mind worms on him, except that led to the rational idea that mind worms were out to get them in the first place.

Junko was in a terrible position. Wallops ate a lot, and if he couldn't eat in the colder temperatures, he would enter hibernation in order to survive. Radarr just grew a thicker coat.

Dove, on the other hand, was displaying signs that she knew full well what was going on around her. On an idea, Stork wrote yes, no on the ground.

Then he asked her yes or no questions.

Dove answered them correctly, even trick questions.

So Dove could understand them. And she was coherent of her true self. But there were no clear instructions on how to change her back.

Pacing the hallway of the three room house they were in, Stork kept mumbling over the dilemma. The Condor was sealed up to handle the cold. He checked each day, and several times each day, but the Condor remained fine.

No one was flying in this weather.

Muttering to himself, Stork could hear the Mayor drawing closer to the door, no doubt to tell them how unwanted the 'furball' was. Frankly, Stork wanted to hurt the man. Dove may be an animal now, but she was alive, a part of the family, and the man couldn't order them to kill Dove.

They belonged to a Sky Knight squadron, and did not belong to any Terra. The only person the Mayor could lodge a formal complaint against was Aerrow, and he was currently indisposed. As they were still somewhat recognized as Sky Knights, and had arrived with Starling, the Mayor gave them lodgings.

Stork had hoped the long walk would discourage the man from bothering them every day.

At least Dove knew to stay indoors if she didn't want to die.

*knock*

Stork rolled his eyes and went to answer the door.

"Good day, Mayor."

If Stork had learned anything it from Finn, it was lying through his teeth.

"Good day, Storm Hawk. I wanted to be sure that the brave protectors of Atmos are weathering this Winter Spell in our best accommodations. If you only removed that furball, you would find even better accommodations."

_Don't stare at him like he insulted the Condor._

"I'm afraid the furball is as important as Radarr to the team. Not to worry, the accommodations are fine. Would you like some tea after the walk?" Stork measured his step back so that he wasn't completely blocking the entrance.

"Ah, no. Perhaps another time. Good day."

"Good day." _That slimy bastard keeps insisting we kill Dove._

Stork closed the door gently, although slamming it and blaming the wind and vents and pressures would have been so satisfying. They were trapped for six months, maybe even longer, and Junko was starting to get sluggish.

Thankfully, there was a year supply of Merb Cabbages that he had bought and stored. Stork returned to his pacing.

Somehow, some way, they had to help Dove return to her original form. But how? They couldn't change her back. The books and scrolls said nothing about them being able to change her back.

The crystal had refused to charge after shocking Dove, and no matter how they waved it over her, or let her play with it, she didn't find an off switch.

One of the scribes suggested that exposure to the crystal was prolonging her stay as a kitten. The crystal remained at the library, and so far, no suddenly human Dove.

Something wound around his feet in what Dove thought was an affectionate manner.

Stork nearly killed himself, or her, falling over.

"Dove, please. None of that today."

Dove purred and crawled over him, nestling into his shoulder. Stork stood up, and Dove stubbornly held on. A normal cat would have leapt off from all the jostling.

Stork resumed pacing.

* * *

Dark Ace groaned and settled into his bath. It was nice to see the Talons actually have time to train and become a real fighting force. If this kept up, they would actually defeat the Storm Hawks.

Even if the Storm Hawks trained during the Winter Spell, they would find themselves evenly matched against the Talons now.

There was an accident something-or-other that Snipe was handling, and handling very well. Some of the Talons were sent to take their leave, and many of the Talons were signing up either for vacation, visiting family by Warp Crystals, or more training.

Tomorrow would be graduation day. Dark Ace smiled just thinking about the sixty Talons who had earned their station now. Just this morning he heard a Talon say, "The heck was I thinking before? That was flashy and unnecessary."

"Yeah, you think the Storm Hawks' marksman is flashy, and then he shoots you down. It's all just distraction techniques. I mean, I took him out, and then the girl on the heliscooter took me out. And two other guys who were zeroing in on the sharpshooter. Kid's a freak for putting himself in danger to win the battle."

"Dude, that's 'taking one for the team'."

The Talons then started discussing battle scenarios and what it actually would take out the Storm Hawks.

They were thinking as a unit.

Dark Ace felt his muscles relax as he sank further into the bath. Finn had yowled and whined and look at him cutely when he was bathed earlier, but Dark Ace just told him to get used to it.

"That's right Finn. I want you used to bathing. It'll help with your thick fur and health. A lot of cats back on Cyclonia actually have two coats, and need to be bathed regularly, and have actual full baths every six months or so."

On the sink ledge, drying out on his hot pad, Finn cracked an eye and mew'd as though to say, "As if I'll ever get used to it, buddy. You have a fight on your hands."

Dark Ace chuckled and stretched out.

* * *

Ravess and Snipe eyed the Temple's markings.

"If this is what I think it is, Snipe, you've just secured Cyclonia's victory. Congratulations, dear brother."

Snipe grunted. "Think I can retire and open a sandwich shop after the war?"

Ravess snorted. "I'll even play for you on weeknights if you want more clientele."

* * *

Cyclonis was reading reports. Again. Dark Ace had received the supplies to build up the fort. The slaves had settled down, and now had a social hour with their lunch, actual floor beds, access to wash rooms and laundry.

They were also allowed to sing while they worked.

Cyclonis rolled her eyes. Dark Ace and his quirks. Still, if the slaves realized that they could work their way out of the factory and into citizenship, they might change loyalties. Who cared who ruled so long as they had basic rights?

No, they couldn't vote her out of power.

Master Cyclonis put her hand over the arm rest and petted Piper's head. The kitten had grown. She was nearly as big as Cyclonis now. Master Cyclonis was surprised at the growth rate, but put it down to Piper being a mixed breed. It wasn't unusual to find pets that actually served as protectors.

What was scary was that Piper and Bolt actually seem to understand her. A week after she had brought them back, there was an incident. She was moments from pitching a fit because she couldn't find her favorite heat slippers to wear across the freezing stones from her bath to her bed. After resolving to her feet getting numbed and cramped in the morning, Piper came in with one slipper, and Bolt came in after her with the other one.

All she had done was mutter about where the blasted slippers were.

Turns out, a helpful servant had put them in the closet. Cyclonis decided that the same helpful servant had also left the closet door open. After all, it was an elegant handle that opened the door, and no way could Piper have figured that out.

Then again, she did watch Cyclonis get ready for the day before the sun rose.

Bolt, on the other hand, was very big. He had to sleep on the floor, because Master Cyclonis couldn't have both of her cats snuggled against her. They warmed her up to the point where she ordered one of them off so she could cool down and sleep.

Bolt had rumbled at Piper, and then slunk off to the floor.

When Cyclonis woke up, she wondered if it was a dream.

Bolt's red fur and emerald eyes were rarely seen. He was always in the corner of her eye, or off exploring.

But every assassin sent after her had definitely seen his teeth before they were killed. Torturing the two from her stay at Dark Ace's fortress had told her that they were lying in wait. They didn't know who paid them; neither had the one Dark Ace killed.

They were approached by a middle man, and paid half up-front with more promised later. They hadn't counted on the kittens being there.

Was there something important about the kittens? She demanded to know.

They had died instead of answering.

Cyclonis petted Piper for a few more minutes.

"Catching up on the back log of papers, re-reading treatise and plotting world domination. Not quite the relaxing Winter Spell, but the break in the war still gives up progress." Master Cyclonis gave the papers an aloof appraisal that she gave any important document.

She could re-write most of them from memory, and include all of their fancy hoopla.

Piper nuzzled her hand some more. Cyclonis rubbed her ears, and then trailed down her back. Piper leaned into the touch, going so far as to stand up and let Cyclonis trail down her whole back.

Master Cyclonis smiled, giving Piper her full attention for a few minutes. Then Bolt sauntered in, closing the door with a pointed look. Cyclonis straightened up, and sped through the last three paragraphs, before starting to assemble her opinion on the rough draft for energy efficiency in their armada's fleet.

The improvements from Bolt's discovery were going to knock Atmosian defenders out when they realized that they couldn't count on attacking the bigger ships when they were refueling.

A marksman like Finn could still take out the engines, but if the engines were close to the ship's body, they would over heat and fail. Perhaps a forward shielding crystal to cover attacks, but still let heat escape would be the solution.

She finished off her opinion, and the request to be brought anything on the engines structure.

A knock at the door alerted her to why Bolt warned her.

It was the Council's messenger boy.

* * *

Stork grumbled as he sank under the covers.

"Goodnight, Dove. If you can turn back into a human, any day now would be great."

"I've been trying!"

Stork shot out of the bed, and when he came back, he handed clothes over to the mortified Dove. Turning into a nude in front of the Merb was highly uncomfortable.

"So, the reason we can't change you back, is because you decide when to change back?"

"Well," Dove commented, struggling into the shirt, "I've been wanting to turn back for the past three days, and only know do I change back. I guess you really just want to be something other than a cat to turn back."

Stork nodded. Then he paled.

"Well, what if Piper, Aerrow, and Finn are so happy as kittens that they never turn back into humans?"

Dove rolled her eyes. "That won't happen. They'll just stay cats until we rescue them, is all. I mean, you did notice how after the Mayor started harassing me I stopped growing, right? Any bigger, I'd have to ride on Junko's shoulders. I was not risking a sneeze."

"So, you can control what happens to your body at will. Could you change back into a cat?"

Dove frowned. Then she closed her eyes. After several strained moments, she opened them again.

"It's there. It's in my head. The crystal actually downloads a part of itself into you. However, I have no idea how to control it, or what to do with it, or if it comes with an instruction manual."

Stork sighed and went to build a spare bed for himself. It was too late to charge the library and find out more information that would no doubt be in a separate category.

They were doomed, because they were trapped on a Terra, with a psychotic Mayor, who would want the details of what happened to the kitten, and why there was girl he hadn't authorized with them. A girl who was wondering if she could transfer the information to other humans and either enhance her own senses or grow real cat ears.

Perhaps they could hide Dove in the library.

Thinking over how to lead the squadron, Stork rolled off to dreamland.

* * *

A/N: Okay, this chapter is not just weird; it's giving off filler vibes like whoa. But then again, under what condition would Bolt and Aerrow want to be human?


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, have I been gone for a while. At least I wasn't gone forever! I do not own Storm Hawks.

EDIT: Oh, dear God, did I publish that? I'm really sorry! Here's the finalized version, I really shouldn't have posted until I stopped hacking up- ahem. Here's the finalized version. I'm going to go sit in a corner now.

Update the summary, and notify that the next chapter is rated M for safety.

On with the story!

Snipe and Ravess excavated the temple, carefully dusting the walls and running crystals over them to capture the information. Their small group of loyal Talons scurried about, keeping their mouths shut and obeying orders. All they cared about was the glory of Cyclonia.

They were good soldiers.

The pandemic would certainly cause Cyclonian victory, now if only they could keep the instruction manual with Master Cyclonis and burn off an important section, the war would be as good as over once the Winter Spell was over.

Of course, that meant the only person who saw the whole picture was Master Cyclonis. Ravess and Snipe only prayed that their blind faith in her would be rewarded.

* * *

The Council's Errand Boy gave Cyclonis a deep bow. "The council sends their deepest regrets for bothering you, but there's been a relay from General Snipe. It isn't encoded, he just says, 'We found it'. They would like to speak with you about what he found."

Master Cyclonis rose. "Come, Piper, Bolt. We have a meeting."

"They request the animals stay out. On account of their allergies."

Master Cyclonis sent him the frostiest look she could manage. Then she paused.

"I'll be in attendance shortly. Notify them." The council boy bowed deeply, and then left to tell the Council that Master Cyclonis would see them shortly.

Master Cyclonis turned to Piper and Bolt.

"I need your help. If I walk in there, they'll kill me and push the war. They'll kill the civilians to do it too. I've never killed anyone who didn't stand in my way. I'm disgusted that I have to ask two Storm Hawks for their help, but I figure protection in return for caring for you two isn't out of your moral code."

The two cats looked at each other, before Piper began to elongate and twist. Bolt rose to his hind feet. A few wracking shudders, and a nude Aerrow dropped his hands to cover himself. Piper tossed him a spare change of clothes.

She sauntered over to the closet, and started digging around.

"How long have you known?" Piper threw over her shoulder.

"Please, Piper, I study crystals. Part of the reason I invaded that back water Terra was to study the crystal. With the crystal out of my grasp, studying you two was the next best choice. Unfortunately, Dark Ace doesn't know the full details. I can only hope that Finn is surviving just as well as you two."

Aerrow nodded. He searched for weapons, and finding none, flexed his hands. Something rippled under his skin.

Nodding to himself, Aerrow walked over to Cyclonis. "After we save you, we're leaving."

Cyclonis smiled. "But of course."

If Piper hadn't been changing, she would have told Aerrow to start running. The innocent acquiescent smile….Master Cyclonis did not take orders.

* * *

Dark Ace felt a chill run down his spine. When he looked behind him, there was no one there. Resolving to call Master Cyclonis and check in on her later, he looped his Switchblade back and sprayed paint all over the rest of his challengers.

His sixth win in a row.

Calling for a break, Dark Ace landed. He watched the others as they cleaned their rides and headed in for lunch. When he had finished, he heard a few squabbles in the break room being worked out, and the teams review training exercises for how to be better next time.

Dark Ace smiled. Being able to take out frustrations on where they belonged was always best. So far, he was able to account for three mishaps that he had fixed himself. Being able to move around in his own skin felt good.

Reaching his room, Dark Ace hailed Master Cyclonis.

She answered him with a clipped 'I'm fine. Meeting with the Council in six.' and hung up on him. Dark Ace smiled. He had seen a glint of black and green behind Master Cyclonis. He wondered why the Council were bending their 'no pets' rule, but decided that it wasn't important.

Of course, the fact that Bolt was the size of a Puma now was cause for alarm, but it actually reassured Dark Ace.

Anything that messed with Master Cyclonis now was asking for a mauling. He reached down and petted Finn. The blond bundle had stumbled in here after hearing him, unused to having his noon nap interrupted. Dark Ace gently tugged on Finn's tail, and the kitten made a tight turn around for more attention.

Dark Ace wound up scooping Finn up and snuggling with him. He forgot to put Finn down before he left the room.

* * *

The Talons were openly staring. Finn was happily purring, and Dark Ace was still muttering 'what in Cyclonia'.

It had all started a few hours ago. Finn was squirming around, looking everywhere. He refused to be quiet. Dark Ace finally set him down, and watched as Finn raced around, taking in all of the new sights and sounds. Then a Talon threw a wrench at Finn.

Dark Ace turned around at the sound of the wrench clanging in the pipes. Finn yowled and shot towards Dark Ace, hiding behind him.

"That little piece of shit was climbing on my ride! Put it on a leash or leave it in its cage!" Finn cowered behind Dark Ace.

"My cat is smart enough to handle itself, soldier."

"Yeah, well, you're stupider than that animal if you think that, sir." The soldier spat out the respectful word with venom.

Dark Ace stiffened.

"Is that a challenge, soldier? Then I'll see you in the air. Two months probation if you lose. My apologies if you win."

The soldier scowled and moved off. "You can even have your friends help you." Dark Ace called after him. Now, baiting the enemy isn't a smart move. Tricking the enemy into selling out his allies can land you in hot water if you can't handle them.

Finn yowled.

"It's okay. I'm just going to win for the seventh time today. Take care and stay out of under their feet." Dark Ace gave Finn a quick scratch and made his way to his Switchblade. He checked the ammo and revved the engine. Everything sounded fine.

The light switched from red to green.

Dark Ace roared down the runway and into the sky. The enemy squadron was seven in number, basic build, no surprises in the frame. Dark Ace scattered them, and began to pick them apart. He tailed one plane long enough that the enemy came up behind him and nearly shot him.

He was never telling Aerrow he borrowed the barrel roll from him. Ever.

After that, the remaining five tried to tag team with each other, using pincer movements. Dark Ace dropped his altitude and used a loop-de-loop to shoot down another plane.

The other bunched into a formation. Far enough apart that Dark Ace couldn't waste his shots on a cluster or spread shooting, too close together for him to easily break them.

That's when a blast of paint came from below. Dark Ace goggled at the distant landing strip. He couldn't see anything down there. But it looked like one of the cannons for the mock invasion had accidentally been fired.

Well, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Flying in, Dark Ace blitzed the remaining four while they were still in shock. Then he headed back to base.

The men would get in after their walk of shame up the Terra. He wasn't sending out a ship to pick up the falling soldiers.

Walking onto the platform, Dark Ace looked around. "Who fired the cannon?"

"No one was near it, sir. We were watching the fight from down here. We're all present and accounted for."

Dark Ace rubbed his face. There was no way that the cannon went off on its own. "Someone find out if the cannons have been wired, especially if the servants have wired it. It would be ridiculous if we couldn't land on our own Terra because the servants had overran it."

Stalking away from them, Dark Ace paused. He looked around.

"Where's Finn?"

The soldiers shuffled.

"Where's my cat?" Dark Ace ground out.

"Mew. Mew." Finn came scampering over to him, purring and rubbing. He had blue paint on one of his paws. Dark Ace turned to his men.

"Is that the direction of the cannons?"

"Yes, sir. Some of them have been assembled, but I don't know if the soldiers had already loaded the ammo. When that shot went off, we started scrambling because we thought we were under attack. When it turned out to be paint, we stood ready for take off."

Dark Ace nodded.

"Well, then, go ahead and move onto the next exercise, the mock invasion once everything's set up. I hear that some people have waged their desserts on the outcome."

The Talon bowed and scurried off to assign chores and team battle rosters.

"I'm going back to my quarters. Someone needs a bath."

Once back in his quarters, Dark Ace gently set Finn down.

"I am honestly thinking of putting a collar on you if you keep wandering into mischief every chance you get." Dark Ace muttered. Finn shook himself once he was out of the bath. Ignoring the cat, Dark Ace went about his usual schedule.

He also dropped by the kitchen to tell them about the wager.

* * *

It was dark. Dark Ace stirred, looking out at the night sky, and wondered what had woken him up. The disrespectful Talon had been taken away to cool his feet after dinner. Scanning the room, Dark Ace noticed that everything was in its place.

That was when he realized that Finn was missing from his bed. Swearing, Dark Ace ran out to the hangar. He barely had time to grab his sword, and his shirt seemed to be missing. Ignoring that the soldiers had just gone to bed, Dark Ace ran as fast as he could.

Where had that Talon been stationed? Who could have taken Finn? He was not losing his cat, damnit!

He noticed a figure moving in the shadows. It was the guard. Realizing that the man hadn't seen him, Dark Ace slipped past. If the guard had seen anything, he would have left his post. Dark Ace didn't have time for questions, or for rumors about him running around half naked looking for his cat to run the gossip circuit.

Slipping into the hangar, Dark Ace decided to added infiltration to the exercises in the morning. He stopped when he saw someone in the darkness saddling up a Switchblade and quietly walking the hangar.

Were they planning to do an unsupervised flight and drop his cat into the Wastelands? But everyone would hear the engine, know there would be a check, and that whoever returned would be in very hot water.

Dark Ace snuck after the person. He was getting his cat back no matter what. Sneaking up on the person was no problem. Dark Ace realized that whoever it was, they were really short, and really nervous. Most likely a slave trying to escape.

Knocking the boy out, Dark Ace felt relief that his cat wasn't in the bag. Just a few rations and a change of clothes. A short wave radio. The moon decided then to come out.

"Finn?"

* * *

Dark Ace made his way after putting the rations back and hiding the rest of the evidence to his room. He slung the bound and gagged Finn onto the bed.

"So, for how long have you been hiding here?" Dark Ace mused. He had one of the Storm Hawks in his bed, and the blue eyes were glaring at him.

"You wouldn't have happened to have seen my cat, have you?" The blue eyes narrows at him. In fact, Finn was arching his back, and looked like he was in discomfort. Well, he was bound hand and foot. But his hands weren't bound to his feet, so why did he look nervous?

He had almost succeeded in flying away. But why wait for now? When everyone was locked down because of the Winter Spell? No one could fly past the protective shielding anyways, and the prolonged cold against a hot engine would sink the Skimmer in no time.

Dark Ace reached for his shirt and remembered that it was missing. He sighed and turned back around to face his prisoner. That was when he saw his personal rank sewn onto the shirt. How in Cyclonia did Finn end up wearing his shirt?

Dark Ace paused, then he reached around to the small of Finn's back. Watching Finn's eyes widen, Dark Ace felt around until he came to what he needed. A fine, golden tail was straightened out as Dark Ace pulled his hand back.

Finn had the oddest, yet most endearing look on his face right then. He was caught between 'oh that feels good' with hazy, lidden eyes, and an 'oh shit he knows' panicked expression.

"So Finn, I take it that you turned into a cat?" Dark Ace gave the tail a firm yank. Finn squirmed and writhed.

"Well, interesting. It seems through some twist of fate or other, you are mine." Finn shrank away from him. "Oh, I'm not going to abuse you. I actually like having a companion with me. But seeing as how you nearly escaped, I'm going to be limiting your movements. You are never leaving this house without me again. And my servant can easily handle you."

Finn's mouth widened in a surprised look as the servant stepped through the door with a change of clothes. It was the other item that had Finn pressing against the wall.

"Oh, come now, Finn. Wearing a collar isn't that bad. Or is it the leash that you're worried about?"

The servant stepped out as Dark Ace stripped and dressed Finn, before cinching the collar around his throat. "You do know that holding your ears flat isn't doing you any good, even in your hairstyle?"

Finn reluctantly allowed his ears to go up as Dark Ace secured the six foot chain into the ground.

"Good. The crystal will let you go anywhere, but without me, you aren't stepping more than six feet past the outside door. Now be a good kitten and go to bed."

Finn blinked a bleary eye at Dark Ace.

"I hate you." He muttered.

"And I see that the new form has thrown you for another loop." Dark Ace turned out the lights and crawled into bed.

"Goodnight, Finn. Don't bother attacking me."

Not that Finn would be capable of much in another fifteen minutes.

* * *

Master Cyclonis was announced at the door by the Council's errand boy, and Piper and Aerrow stood back. Dressed up in clothes similar to the Night Crawlers, they stood two steps behind Cyclonis as they entered the chamber.

Master Cyclonis said that these men would kill civilians if they weren't stopped. She promised not to. Was that good enough for them to imprison Cyclonians unto Cyclonians to protect Atmos?

And how had she known that they could understand her?

There were six men seated around a table in there. Piper gave a curious look with only her eyes and noticed that aside from the two of them, there were no women to be seen beyond the few maids that waited on Cyclonis.

Was there a severe imbalance to the gender here or something? Master Cyclonis made a gesture, and both Aerrow and Piper came to a complete stop. They relaxed. The collapsed staff felt as a familiar weight in her hand

"Master Cyclonis. It appears that you have left us out of your plans once again. But this time, it would also seem that you have a very competent team on the assembly of your plan." The voice of the Council sent goose bumps not only down Aerrow's arms, but shivers down his back. He held still and waited for the chilled feeling to pass.

"There's no one new in the running if that's what you mean." Master Cyclonis diplomatically replied. After all, the only new additions were standing behind her.

"We mean, that perhaps it's time for someone else to be leading the teams." The implied threat went right by Cyclonis, and right into Aerrow's and Piper's head.

Let's explain something. Cats are not loyal animals. They love the person who feeds them. The person who strokes their egos. The person who cuddles them and praises them. And how do cats prove their respect?

By bringing the carcass of their kill before their owner.

The Council never stood a chance. The few that managed to run to the door found it barricaded from the outside.

The errand boy removed the chair and opened the unlocked door once he heard Master Cyclonis praising her two pets.

"Shall I send them to the Wasteland, ma'am?"

"Do so." Master Cyclonis ordered. "And after that, spy on the replacements."

"Of course, ma'am."

Master Cyclonis continued petting Piper and Aerrow. The two had a dazed look on their faces, as though they weren't quite in the moment. Aerrow was panting, sweat dripping from his face from the chase. Piper had flecks of blood on her face, and she was holding her staff with a death grip.

"Come, sweet hearts. Follow me. I have at treat for you." Eager to be rewarded, Piper and Aerrow stumbled after Cyclonis, back to her quarters.

Once back in her quarters, Cyclonis fed Piper and Aerrow. They ate, before they convulsed. Piper twisted and writhed as her body shifted, growing back a tail and ears. Her eyeteeth lengthened, turning sharp, and peeking out of her upper mouth over her lower lip by just enough to get a glance of pearly white.

Aerrow didn't react so well. He passed out, and his body jerked as the tail and ears came in. His eyes blazed, catching the light and turning a hazy orange red. Cyclonis waved her hands and moved the light far enough back to get it out of his reflective lenses. Aerrow's eyes turned back into their deep green.

Exhausted, Piper collapsed. She buried herself into the covers and rolled over, falling asleep.

Cyclonis moved Aerrow apart from Piper. Breaking the two separately would go faster than giving them the faint hope of hanging in together. She would put them back together…eventually.

But for tonight, she needed her kittens to stay a little drugged until she could ease them into her line of thinking. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, call it brain washing, Cyclonis liked to call it making friends.

Cyclonis reclined on the bed with Piper curled next to her. In her head, she composed the reply to General Snipe

_Continue with your work. I will be there shortly for the notes. Oh, and excellent job with your report._

Master Cyclonis went back to ruling the new Cyclonia with a more complacent Council in place. No one to question or snoop about what she did behind closed doors, so long as all the numbers added up.

Even though her odd hours were only tracked by one errand boy.

A/N:

Yeah, I'm debating if I should bump the rating up just in case. But now there's a sense that the Cyclonians are holding all of the cards, and that the Storm Hawks have more trouble in store.

I wonder what the Guardians will try to do?

EDIT: I revised chapter six. Thank God for the reviewer who spoke up. Chrissy Renee Pinto, you deserve a medal of honor. I'm gagging a little for what I did have up.


End file.
